One rookie who wasn’t on anyone’s radar (not even this writer’s) was Hannan. Hannan didn’t play in the JLT so he wasn’t of a concern to most coaches when he was announced that he would debut in Round 1. Boy were our eyes opened in a hurry! 16 Disposals, 7 Marks and 2 Goals signalled that Hannan means business with a stunning 96 and we shall all watch him with eagle eyes for this round to see if he continues this scoring potential.

Fwd – Daniel Butler (Rich) – $123,900Break Even: -124

Butler had a solid JLT, averaging 57 over the 3 games he played which included a 75 in the JLT1. But we were not prepared for his score of 96 which came from 19 Disposals and 2 Goals which could signal the replacement for Vickery up forward for the Tigers.

Mid – Sam Powell-Pepper (PA) – $135,300Break Even: -81

The rookie of the round, Powell-Pepper made an impact early. After starting in the forward pocket, he quickly racked up 19 Disposals and 2 Goals. The only thing that hurt his final tally of 78 in the end was the 6 Clangers he had. Hopefully he will clean up his ball usage and get into triple figures.

Fwd – Dan Houston (PA) – $117,300Break Even: -79

Houston playing as a defender but listed as a forward, so beware of that Supercoaches, but never-the-less, Houston managed an impressive score of 72 with 12 Disposals and 6 Marks. What is more impressive is that he is a first gamer and had zero clangers. I’m sure we’ll see more of Houston in the future.

Def – Caleb Marchbank (Carl) – $236,100Break Even: -64

The only player on this list from a losing side, Marchbank has slotted into Centre Half Back quite nicely with 19 Disposals and 8 Marks with an outstanding 10 Contested Possessions. Marchbank’s JLT form was called into question but there is no denying that he is the real deal with a solid 97 for Round 1 and now he is being snapped up at an alarming rate for Round 2.

Hannebery was nowhere in the involvement of the game. Even with Robbie Gray out of the picture, Dan just couldn’t find his rhythm. Watch this space however because Hanners will bounce back and his Break Even will be enough to see him drop in price by about Round 5 to snap him up.

With the Carlton midfield completely outplayed against Richmond, it was easy to see how some Carlton midfielder’s scores were low. Although Murphy and Gibbs were instrumental in the win, it did feel as though Cripps was outshined by his Blues counterpart. Watch for Cripps to bounce back this week against Melbourne.

Mid – Seb Ross (StK) – $512,400R1 Score: 36Average: 36Break Even: 211

Not much Seb could do about the game on Saturday. 16 Disposals, 4 Clangers, 63% eff. He was buried in the midfield for the majority of the game but he was outplayed by everyone in the Demons engine room. With just 4 Contested Possessions to his name, he needs to find better rhythm in order for his score to climb.

Be on the lookout for this kid in 2017. I think with the way Essendon will want to bounce back after a torrential year, McGrath will be suited to become one of the Rookie’s of the Year. He’s already well on his way with a great 83 SC scored off 22 disposals against the might of Hawthorn. If he can do that against a premiership side, imagine what he is going to do to the lower teams.
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